Unemployment Paper Checks End This Week

Associated Press

Updated: 2 years ago.

About a third of the 118,000 Georgians who get unemployment benefits still get paper checks. The Georgia Department of Labor estimates it costs almost $1 million a year to print and mail those checks. That cost will go away at the end of the week when the department ends paper checks in favor or direct deposit or a Mastercard debit card. (Photo Courtesy of tinyfroglet via Flickr.)

Paper checks will soon be a thing of the past for recipients of Georgia unemployment benefits.

The Georgia Department of Labor is ending paper checks this week. Starting Friday, recipients will have to choose between direct deposit into their checking accounts or a debit card with a Mastercard logo.

Department spokesman Sam Hall said the switch represents a more customer-friendly, secure way for recipients to get their benefits. He said it's also more efficient and a great cost saver.

About a third of the 118,000 Georgians who get the benefits still get paper checks. The department estimates it costs $19,000 a week to print and mail those checks. That's almost $1 million a year.